Man to be charged with driver’s murder

DEPUTY Director of Public Prosecutions Joan Honore-Paul today instructed police to charge a 37-year-old man for the murder of Lodris Sampson, 55, whose body was found in a drain at Barrackpore in May. Legal officer, PC Kyrn Lewis of the Homicide Bureau Region III, submitted a file on the investigations days ago to the Office of the DPP.

Once charged, the suspect will appear before a San Fernando magistrate. On May 18, a passer-by saw the then-unidentified corpse face down in a drain off Papourie Road, in an area called Trinidad Hill. Both hands were tied behind the back.

The area is being developed for housing. The land was previously used by the now-defunct Caroni (1975) Ltd to grow sugar cane. Supt Rohan Pardassie, Sgts Harricharan and Ramlogan and Cpl Nanan of the Southern Division, visited the scene with police from the Homicide Bureau.

Three days after the discovery, Sampson’s employer identified the body. Sampson of Iere Village in Princes Town worked as a driver for a contractor. Sampson was shot in the back of the head.

Only a day before the discovery, the employer reported to Mon Repos police that Sampson had gone to do some financial transactions two days earlier using a company car but could not be contacted after that. Mon Repos police later found the car abandoned at the side of the road.